In the epistle of Paul to the Colossians, we have
perhaps the best definition of Christianity in the Bible. It is found in Col.
1:27: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Christianity is CHRIST IN US, the hope of glory. And
of course, included in this definition, would be how we come to have Christ in
us, as well as the impact of Christ in us, which is the Christian life. But at
the root, the Truth of Christianity is CHRIST IN US. Once we depart from that
central Truth, or water it down, or make Christianity anything else, we are in
great danger.

You cannot build a strong house without a proper
foundation. Christ in us is the ONLY foundation for Christianity. It all starts
there, and really ends there as to purpose. Everything else is secondly, and
serves that purpose – in the individual, and in the Body of Christ. God’s
purpose in His people is Christ. Christ is the means of God’s glory, and the
means of our redemption, freedom, and spiritual growth.

The centrality of Christ is the theme of Colossians.
But not merely the centrality of Christ as the topic of conversation, or as the
main doctrine of the church. No. The theme of Colossians is the centrality of
Christ IN the individual. Paul says, "You are complete in Him." (Col.
2:10) In fact, read especially Colossians 2, and count how many times Paul
says, "in Him," "with Him," "by Him,"
"through Him," etc. Paul is trying to tell us that everything in the
Christian life is obtained IN CHRIST – and that nothing comes outside of Him.
All life, Truth, wisdom, and redemption is the result – not of religion ABOUT
Christ – but is the result of CHRIST IN US. He applies this personally to the
believer. And of course, what is true personally, is true collectively for the
Body of Christ.

In fact, Paul is so serious about this great Truth
about Christ in us that he gives us FOUR ways in which the enemy will try to
blind us to this Truth. These FOUR warnings or dangers are both the means by
which the enemy will approach us, and they are the errors that will arise in the
Christian church if he is successful.

Paul says, "Christ in you is Christianity.
Everything is found in Christ. But here is what the enemy will offer you as an
alternative. Here is how the enemy will approach you. And if you take the bait
and buy into these errors, they will constitute the false foundation upon which
your life will be based. They are SUBSTITUTES for Christ in you – substitutes
for HIS LIFE."

God gave these warnings for our protection – so
that we might HOLD FAST to Christ. Thus, we need to read them and take them to
heart.

Warning #1: Let no man beguile you
with enticing words

Christ, in whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should
beguile you with enticing words. (Col 2:3-4)

Paul is telling us that IN CHRIST are hidden all of
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and he says that he is telling us this
LEST ANY MAN BEGUILE US with enticing words. In other words, this is a
warning against enticing words that would otherwise trick or deceive us into
looking to someone or something OTHER than Christ for wisdom and knowledge.

The fact is, you and I cannot know God, or His ways,
unless we know Christ. People are smart enough to create religious belief
systems, and self-help guides, and do it all in the name of Christ. This has
been done for the last two-thousand years. Christian teachers create A WAY. But
they do it independent of THE WAY, who is Jesus Christ.

Don’t misunderstand. Every false Christian teacher
– the ones that are deliberate deceivers, and the ones that are themselves
deceived – they ALL use the name of Christ. They say, "This is the way to
walk with God." Or they say, "This is the secret key to finding God’s
blessings." No false teacher is going to get up and say, "Here is a
way to walk with God that puts Christ in the background." But the moment I
teach that there is wisdom and knowledge that can come to me independent of
personally knowing Jesus Christ, I am teaching error. Jesus Christ Himself IS
the Truth. Therefore, if I want to know the Truth, I have to know HIM.

I could give many examples to illustrate the
possibilities here. But one that I heard on Christian television the other night
will do. One of the Christian networks was having their fall fund-raising
telethon, and one of the usual preachers used for that purpose was on television
trying to raise money. This time it was Mike Murdock, who is one of the biggest
heretics today when it comes to this sort of thing. He was promising his
listeners that if they, "planted an uncommon seed," that they would
have an, "uncommon harvest." Included in this promise of an uncommon
harvest was, "uncommon wisdom." He also promised deliverance from
bondage, promised healed relationships, healed bodies, and of course, financial
prosperity. All of this was promised as the result of giving money to the
Christian network.

The justification for this promise? Well, it was that
this network was anointed of God. So if you plant a seed in their ministry, that
anointing will be imparted to YOU – the anointing being the means of all of
those things promised as a harvest.

Of course when promises like this are made, the money
does roll in. And then BECAUSE it rolls in, such television networks claim that
God is blessing them. They use this success, "prove," that they are,
in fact, doing God’s will, God’s way. Otherwise, how could they be so
successful? Well, they could be that successful by preaching error – by
promising people all those things mentioned above in exchange for money. This
has all been done before. The Roman Catholic Church of the middle ages
basically ruled Europe and accumulated a fortune -- selling indulgences. They
made all the same claims. And God wasn’t in any of it. This is exactly
the SAME false teaching in new garb.

But the point I want to make is this: The key to
wisdom is not for me to plant a seed. The key to wisdom is KNOWING JESUS CHRIST.
Neither is the key to freedom from bondage planting a seed. The key to freedom,
according to Jesus, is to KNOW THE TRUTH – which He said was equal to knowing
Him. The fact is, there is NOTHING that God has promised that is not found in
His Son. All things are found in Christ, and nothing can be obtained outside of
Him.

That is exactly why Jesus said, "Seek you first
His kingdom and His righteousness. And all else will be added unto you."
God wants everything in our lives to be a by-product of Christ in us, our
relationship with Him, and a product of the fact that we have given ourselves
over into His hands for His glory. If God gave us the blessings of Christ
independent of the Person of Christ, well, it would end up destroying us.

But you see, enticing words – words that draw
people IN by making promises – can be quite deceitful and effective. Just tell
people the right buttons they need to push with God and they can receive all
that they need, indeed, all that they want – and they can have it without
knowing Christ. Now, I realize that these teachers never say that you can
have anything without knowing Christ. No. Indeed, what they do is say that this
whole system is OF CHRIST! Sure. They must say that. But it is nothing more than
a way of using the name of Christ to feed themselves.

Any real teacher of the gospel is going to point you
to CHRIST. They will NEVER attach money to the blessings of God.
EVER. They will NEVER tell you that you must come to them to get Christ,
or to be blessed of God. Rather, they will teach you how to go to Christ,
and how to walk with Him.

As far as giving money goes, a true teacher will
teach you how to know Christ and walk with Him. Free of charge. No
strings attached. And if you value that message you will give. But
in all honesty, based on the flow of money today, the Body of Christ values the
prosperity message -- and does not value the Truth of the gospel. Just
follow the money -- people put their money where their heart is. Thus,
sadly, we, as a Body, have gotten exactly what we have paid for: A false
gospel that is spreading everywhere. It is OUR fault -- and of course, I
speak generally. Every one is not specifically to blame.

Again, Jesus said, "SEEK FIRST the
kingdom." If He commands us to do that, what do we suppose HE is seeking
first FOR US? The kingdom of God – which is essentially Christ in us, and
Jesus Lord of us. But then along the way, He will add to us all the material
possessions we need.

If we find Christ, and are growing to know Him, we
will find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We don’t find these
things by giving money, or by really doing anything. We find them if we find
Christ.

Of course, the question becomes: How do I find
Christ? Well, you find Christ by losing your life into His hands.
"He that loses His life for My sake will find it." And Paul says right
here in Colossians, "Christ, who is our life." (Col. 3:4)

So what we see is that all of these promises,
methods, and false teachings, are nothing more than a DENIAL of the sufficiency
of Jesus Christ, and a DENIAL of the necessity of the Cross. Of course. Where
the enemy is at work, you will usually find a substitute for these – because
as I said, Christianity is CHRIST IN US. Deny that, neglect that, blur that, and
you will have successfully BEGUILED the Christian people who believe you.

"To entice," means, "to lure by a
bait." False teachers use ENTICING words. Get that picture. You cannot lure
anyone to a bait unless that bait is what they want, or what they need. For
example, if I am in trouble financially, and someone tells me that God will
bless me if I give them money -- even money I don't have -- well, that is a bait
to which I might easily be lured out of desperation – and the words used,
the facial expressions, and the emotion, are the enticing words used. The TRAP
is that I am being lured into a place of provision that is OUTSIDE of real faith
and outside of the Person of Jesus Christ.

Do you really believe that the only way you can find
provision in Christ – for ANYTHING – is by coming THROUGH a ministry or a
supposed man of god? Mike Murdock, Paula White, Benny Hinn, Juanita Bynum, and
many others, openly call themselves by that name -- they call themselves,
"a man or woman of God," or, "God's prophet." I have
personally heard each of them refer to themselves by those terms. I guess
that is supposed to make us afraid to take what they say to God and ask Him
about it. But ask: Even if they WERE what they claim (and they are
NOT) -- but even if they were, are THEY your mediator unto God? The Bible says,
"There is One Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ." (I Tim.
2:5) You don’t need to come to God through anyone but Christ. And if you are a
Christian, you already have CHRIST IN YOU. It is a finished reality.

The moment you believe you cannot have full access to
God except through a leader or a ministry or a group, you have denied the
reality of Christ in you. You have been enticed. You have taken the
bait. The solution? Drop the person who is teaching you this lie and
come to Christ. He died to give Himself to you -- personally. Let no
one beguile you.

Enticing words often seek to lure us away from the
reality of CHRIST IN US – to a notion that we cannot truly find God unless we
add onto Christ with a religious system, or plug into God through a ministry
that promises to impart to us their anointing. But the Bible teaches that Christ
is the ONLY ANOINTED ONE. Thus, if you have Christ in you, you have the
anointing in you.

So in his first warning to the Colossians, Paul is
saying that we need to beware lest someone try to entice us – entice us, yes
TO error. But more than that, we need beware lest they try to entice us AWAY
from Christ.

That is the point. All false teaching, in one way or
another, will seek to entice us with a bait AWAY from Christ to something that
is a false substitute FOR HIM.

Paul said, "No. In Christ are hidden all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You don’t need to be scared into
believing what people teach. You don’t need to take anyone’s bait. You don’t
need to be afraid that you will miss out if you THINK FOR YOURSELF. You
don't need to be afraid you will, "miss God," if you don't send in
money. No. That is an abomination to say that. If Christ is in
you, you can't miss God. God is IN YOU. Seek Christ HIMSELF.
If you find HIM, you will know the Truth."

Warning #2: Beware lest any one spoil
you through philosophy and vain deceit.

Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. And you are complete in him, which is the head of all
principality and power: (Col 2:8-10)

There are many Christian teachings out there today
that are nothing more than self-help guides as to how to live a happy life, get
God to bless you, and, to borrow a book title, how to have, "Your Best Life
Now." They offer techniques and methods – which are not necessarily evil
or immoral – but they amount to ways in which we can improve who we are
independent of death and resurrection in Jesus Christ.

God has no plans to improve Adam, help Adam, or to
affirm Adam. Adam died in Christ. And if we want to be raised in Christ,
"our Adam," must die IN HIM. All that God has for us is wrapped
up in the new creation in His Son.

Now, I do realize that everyone who writes these
self-help books, and who is a preacher of the gospel of self-esteem would agree
with that. But they don’t have a clue as to what it means – or they
would not write and teach what they do. Death and resurrection in Christ is not
merely a doctrine to believe in. It is an experience. And I can promise you that
if we really got into business with God along that line, we would see the utter
nonsense of, "Country club Christianity," your best life now, and the
Satanic gospel of self-esteem.

Read the above passage again, and note the contrast
between the tools of the enemy -- those of, "philosophy and vain
deceit" -- and the Truth that we are COMPLETE IN CHRIST. One of the common
approaches of the enemy is to offer us solutions for what ails us by trying to
make us feel good about ourselves. This is VAIN DECEIT. It satisfies
SELF, but it is NOT real, and not the Truth. It is vain, or USELESS.
But God has something better. He tells us that if we would come into the
Truth, we would see and experience that we are complete in Christ.

The modern gospel of self-esteem, promoted by Robert
Schuller, Joel Osteen, and many others, is a message that tells us – not that
we are complete IN CHRIST – but tells us that Christ makes US complete.
And I am being generous -- for their message really tells us how to make
ourselves complete, and get God to help us. But either way, I hope we see
that this is error. It is error that is based on, at best, a blindness to
the Cross of Jesus Christ. That is scary, since you must see the necessity
of the Cross to even so much as BEGIN in the things of God.

So we come back to death and resurrection. You cannot
be complete in Christ until you confess that you are incomplete – in Adam. You
just won’t see your need otherwise. But if you confess that you are
incomplete, you will lose your best life now in order to find His best life
forever. You will come to see that to be COMPLETE IN CHRIST does not mean that I
have found a religious system, a bunch of principles to follow, or that I have
found a way to walk with God that pushes the right buttons. I will see that it
means that because He is everything to me, that I am everything I need to be in
Him. In short, I will continue to be a flawed human being. But Christ makes up
for what I lack. I am complete IN HIM.

I don’t mean this merely in a legal way. I mean it
in an experiential way. Do you want to be a whole person? Well, you will find
that only in Christ. You can be complete only in Him. This is not philosophy,
and it is not vain deceit – it is not a matter of you feeling good about
yourself. It is a matter of you being delivered from yourself and so focused on
Christ, and upon His glory, that you experience redemption. You feel good about
HIM! You leave yourself alone, in His hands!

Redemption is a restoration back to an original
condition and ownership. Man’s original condition is to be made complete in
God. To let God BE God. This is possible only if Jesus Christ is our personal
Lord. It is not possible through philosophy and vain deceit. It is not possible
by following the religious traditions of men. Christianity is CHRIST IN US –
and we are complete only IN HIM.

The enemy seeks to provide us with something,
anything, that will SPOIL US – that is, carry us off as spoil -- away from
Christ Himself. It is so easy to get excited about a line of teaching, a
Christian philosophy, or something that seems to provide to us with an answer.
It is easy to be CARRIED OFF by it into some, "movement." But
Christianity isn’t a movement. It is Christ in us. In the end, we must be
found in Christ. And Paul is admonishing us to hold fast to HIM.

Warning #3: Let no man judge you
according to law

Let no man therefore judge you in
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the
sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
(Col 2:16-17)

Leading up to this passage, Paul goes through the
entirety of what Jesus Christ has accomplished through His redemptive work.
Central to his teaching is the fact that Jesus died and was raised FOR US. But
if you read Col. 2:11-15, you will find something beyond the facts about what
Jesus did FOR US. Paul is talking about the fact that we have died and been
raised IN HIM.

Paul says, "You are circumcised IN HIM. You are
buried WITH HIM. You are risen WITH HIM. You are quickened together WITH
HIM." This is, of course, how we are complete IN HIM. Christianity is
Christ IN US. It is not merely belief in a list of things that Christ did FOR
us.

Paul is telling us that everything Jesus did for us
is worked IN US. This is because through death and resurrection we are ONE with
Him. What else would be the case if Christianity is CHRIST IN US?

But having said all of that, Paul then adds,
"Therefore let no man bring a judgment against you because of whether you
keep religious practices. Those things – even if they are of God – are the
shadow. Christ is the substance – and His is in YOU."

Paul is getting at the basis of all man-made religion
-- including man-made religion about Christ. He is saying that none of it
is real. What is real is Christ -- and all that He is doing in you.
The rest is like a shadow -- at best.

Here we see again that the definition of Christianity
is Christ in you. It is NOT whether you keep this or that law, or whether you
believe the right things. I’m not saying that a Christian won’t obey God, or
believe the Truth. No. But Paul is saying that it is possible to keep tons of
rules, principles, and laws – but to be living entirely in the shadows. The
question is whether Christ is in you, and whether He is becoming Lord of you.

The Bible teaches that obedience in the Christian
life is the OUTCOME of faith – the outcome of CHRIST IN US. Legalism, however,
teaches that our relationship with Christ is the outcome of obedience.

Christians need to understand this Truth. Once I
replace the reality of Christ in me, with the shadow of things to come, well, I
will be in the dark. And yet Christians by the thousands are taught that doing
things this or that way is what Christianity is all about. No. Christianity is
Christ in us. But if you have Christ in you, the Christian life will emerge in
Truth and holiness.

We see the error of shadow over substance everywhere
today. One place this is evidence is in denominations. If you walk into one
church, they demand that you do this or that their way. Another church demands
the same – their way. The same is often the case with non-denominational
churches or home fellowships. They have their structure, belief system, and
principles. But the question is: Does Christ have THEM? Is Christ the center, or
is the church, and it’s distinctives the center?

I have known of churches, for example, that will not
have a pastor who uses the KJV of the Bible. I have known of others who
demand a pastor who uses KJV only. They have their reasons. But this
is all about shadow. Where is substance? Where is Christ? At
some point we might ask whether there is a church out there that actually cares
about the spiritual health of their congregation, and wants a pastor who will be
God's vehicle to reveal to them the Person of Jesus Christ?

There are also Christians who have such a,
"religious spirit," about them that if you say the slightest thing
that does not agree with their belief system they will write you off as a
heretic. Some fancy themselves to be prophets and teachers – but their
attitude is so arrogant and self-serving that it is obvious that they are in the
dark. The point is, anyone can fashion a religion around Christ, and use
it to serve themselves. Anyone can construct a belief system equipped with the
shadow of things to come – and it may SEEM good. But where is the
substance? According to Paul, the only substance there is is CHRIST HIMSELF.

Do you want to know what, in the eyes of God, is
REAL? Jesus Christ. He is the substance – the reality of God. The Truth. The
rest is shadows.

Imagine of the Person of Jesus came walking down my
street, and I ran out to meet Him. But instead of embracing HIM, I fall down and
embrace His shadow. How much of Christ would I really have? Well, none. But His
shadow sort of looks like Him. It’s shaped like Him. But it isn’t HIM. This
is the religion of many people – the shadow of Christ. They don’t realize
that Christianity is about a real Person – Christ in us the hope of glory.

Paul is telling us that people who fashion a religion
of shadows will almost always judge you by it. Sure. The judgmental spirit
usually comes with the package. Rather than point you to Christ, they focus on
how you fall short of THEM. But he says, "Don’t let any one render
a judgment against you if you don’t walk in the shadow of things to come. Walk
in Christ. He is the substance."

Jesus Christ did not come to give us religion – not
even a religion ABOUT Him. He did not come to deliver to us a list of principles
to follow – even though Christians should obey God. No. Christ came to give us
HIMSELF. He gave to give us LIFE IN HIMSELF. That is real. It is a death and
resurrection that results in obedience. But it is something that all the
law-keeping in the world cannot duplicate.

Law-keeping cannot form the life of Christ in
us. The life of Christ in us is released only through the Cross -- through
dying with Him.

If people would begin getting into personal business
with Christ Himself, there would be plenty of good works and obedience. The
church would be holy. Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that religion about
Christ is the biggest enemy of Christ Himself.

Warning #4: Let no man disqualify you
of your reward

Let no man beguile you of your reward
in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things
which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the
Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered,
and knit together, increases with the increase of God. (Col 2:18-19)

The, "reward," here is not salvation or
heaven. It is CHRIST. Paul is talking about the positive results of being in
Christ. No man should be allowed to render a judgment against us that would
disqualify us from THAT reward.

Notice HOW the enemy will try to do this: First,
through, "voluntary humility." The Greek here means, "to delight
in humility." This is a matter of you doing whatever you think you need to
do to make yourself humble. And then, having supposedly made yourself humble,
you take pride and confidence in it!

One of the biggest sources of spiritual pride for
some Christians is their humility. Of course, none of this is real humility.
True humility is not accomplished by putting yourself down, or by doing
anything. True humility is the product of seeing Jesus Christ. See HIM, and you
will be humble.

But false teachers will offer alternatives to Christ.
They will give you principles to follow that supposedly make you humble. One
such principle is, "submission to authority." False teachers like Bill
Gothard, and heresy movements such as the, "shepherding movement," of
the 1970’s promise this as a way to become humble. But the problem is, you can
submit to authority and do it completely outside of Christ in you. God wants us
to submit to HIM. But the result is not that our pride is crushed. The result is
that our flesh is crucified and we are raised in freedom in Christ.

You cannot make yourself humble by keeping a law --
not even God's law. Again -- you are made humble by seeing Christ.
See Him, and you will see your hopelessness. And then you will open to His
grace.

Actually, most legalism is an attempt to duplicate
the life of Christ through works. It is a way to create righteousness and
humility by what we DO. We know we are supposed to be humble, so
Christians act humble. But according to Paul, all these kinds of things do is
rob us of our real reward – oneness in Christ.

Paul also says the enemy will try to get us to,
"intrude into those things we have not seen, vainly puffed up by our
fleshly minds." How easy it is to think that if I KNOW LOTS OF TEACHING,
that this is equal to knowing Jesus Christ. This is true with regards to even
true teaching. But how much more it is with regards to false teaching. And the
fact is, if I don’t know Jesus Christ, eventually my teaching about Him will
suffer.

Paul is also warning us against any fascination with
facts, history, doctrines, or supposedly secret Truth, that we might use to make
ourselves special. He is warning us against thinking that we are an elite group,
belong to an exclusive company, or have something in Christ – because of our
merits – that not many other Christians can have. No. If we hold fast to the
HEAD, we won’t be holding fast to some THING that we use as a claim to
fame. And if we are holding fast to the Head, we won't be holding fast to
a part of His Body as being better than another.

Again -- Christianity is Christ in us. We
aren't more special than another. Christ is special in each one of
us. Everyone of God’s people have the same access to God by His grace.

One of the greatest sins of the Christian church has
been to use the things of God for our own glory, and for our own profit. Paul
says that if we do that, we will have our reward. But God would rather have us,
"let no man beguile us of our reward." The solution is to hold fast to
the Head. And to let go of everything else that doesn’t serve His purpose in
us.

Paul’s Intention

Paul’s intention ought to be clear: He wants to
show us that Christianity is CHRIST IN US. He wants to show us that we are
COMPLETE IN HIM. And it is upon THIS foundation that all that is OF God will be
built. He wants to warn us against all of the possible errors and false
teachings that are bound to come our way – to try to get us off onto other
things.

Paul gave a prayer that he often prayed for the
Colossians. They go hand in hand with the theme of the book – the reality of
Christ in us.

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not
cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge
of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That you might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to
his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving
thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light: Who has delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Col 1:9-13)